WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES MID-AIR BATTLE FOR PREY BETWEEN A HAWK AND OWL
There are many epic battles in the natural world that require equally spectacular photography. However, it takes the photographer's patience, timing, and luck to do it. Henrik Nilsson recently took amazing action pictures of a marsh hawk, also known as a northern harrier, snatching a short-eared owl's food while it was in midair. Both the beauty and the ferocity of nature are depicted in the sharp, vibrant photos.
Nilsson is based in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, where short-eared owls arrive from the north during wintertime. “Their preferred habitat includes grasslands and marshes,” Nilsson explains to My Modern Met. “It is an environment usually shared with other raptors, including northern harriers. This particular owl had just successfully hunted a vole. However, its prize was quickly discovered by a female harrier. Harriers will often try to steal prey from the owls, and thus an aerial battle ensued.”
You can never predict when that magical picture will come along; it usually comes down to timing. “The image was captured as I was returning to my vehicle towards the end of the day after photographing the owls in flight,” he recalls. “It was an unexpected moment that lasted mere seconds.”
Fortunately, Nilsson's camera equipment was still out and ready to go.“After a rather quick scramble, I was able to capture only a few images before the airborne battle was over. The owl made twists and turns but with talons locked, it decided to let go of the vole.” The harrier won the meal.
